Lee Taylor

Been away from the hobby for a LONG time. Have some questions. I have not been to the local fields yet so I do not know what is going on there yet.

- Are glow engines still popular? What brands does one see now days?

- What is up with electric? Seems very popular and clean!

- Are the 4 strokes still around or did they disappear?

A. J. Clark

I see mostly electric and gasoline. A lot of dle engines. Some 4 stroke and 2 cycle glow. Glow fuel is about 10 times the cost of gas. There's also a lot of smaller gas engines now.

Lee Taylor

Okay Well I have not yet visited the local flying fields. I plan to do that on Saturday. It is starting to sink in how long I have been away from the hobby (30yrs). I am starting to read that the model airplane industry went into a slump and lost popularity. I suppose there are no guarantees in life. Things change. Bills must be paid and if no one is buying then the lights must be turned off. RC Modeler magazine going out of business was the shock of my life. For me if you could not afford anything else you could always afford a magazine. I guess I am just an old-time modeler. I have a simulator on the way to me. I will be buying a new transmitter. No way around that. I think I am going to try a floater jet electric foamy to ease back into flying. Hand launch and belly landing in the grass just looks so easy compared to LANDING GEAR!

blw

My Feedback: (3)

Hi Lee- RCM was a shock to a lot of people. In the end they catered to ARF reviews, etc. What simulator did you buy? I'm also using mine to get some skills back before taking planes out to the field for the first time in a while due to health issues.

Lee Taylor

Hello BLW....I really did not realize what a significant part of my life streamed from RCM. I mean it is just a dumb old magazine. I have not received the AMA magazine yet, not sure what that is all about. I bought the RF-8. Which one do you have? It should easily put me back on the field by next spring. Sorry about the illness. I am a Senior Citizen so I do not kid myself about the possibility of being called home at any time. One never knows about that. I just try to enjoy the days, that is all! Shocked to see so many glow engine manufacturers gone. Also shocked to hear of the vast decline of model builders.

Fox 36x BB

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

I still build and use four strokes almost exclusively, a Saito .30 on a Bush Hawk.

Jesse Open

Still a few left that actually start out with just a three view pic and generate their own design and drawings before hand cutting the parts to build a plane. Our club is 100 members and there may still be 10 or 15 that will do that. The economy of ARFs has made "kits" a fading entity as an ARF usually costs less than a kit once completed.
It is a bit sad as many people, even the build from a kit folks have never/will never experience the satisfaction that comes from taking a three view drawing, or even just a picture in your head, putting pencil to paper and following up with a flying plane.
This used to be a wonderfully balanced, multi-faceted hobby where a youngster or an old timer could learn so many different disciplines.
There is designing, drawing, aerodynamics, woodwork, metalworking, mechanical detailing, electrical controls, covering, painting etc. "Flying" for many is still only about 10% of the hobby, if that.
Yet, for those of us so inclined, the option to take up the complete hobby is still on the table. As the store bought bits disappear from the hobby shop shelves, the hobby will once again invite innovation and more do-it-yourself opportunities, just as it did in the early days. We can once again make our own engine mounts, fuel tanks and control horns as needed. Why buy an engine test stand? Make one!


We are presented with a 15 course, gourmet delight, yet more and more folks are content to simply lick the frosting on the cakes and leave the rest on the table.

Lee Taylor

Engine wise.... this is where I think I am headed

Jesse Open

Four strokes in general or 30 size four stroke in particular?
Just curious. There are a few choices.

Lee Taylor

I am thinking I need to be in the .70 - .90 four stroke range. In other words a plane in the .60 size glow two stroke range

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

There are several choices between the Saito 62b, my choice and the 82b and the Saito 100. And that's just the Saito. OS has the 62v and the 95v and I think a 72 in between.

Jesse Open

You are right there is the "sweet spot" where there is a good range of engines from a few makers. Saito in particular has that range very well covered!
The ..62, .72, .82 are all basically the same footprint and similar weight. Not sure about the .62 but the .72 has been dropped. You can still find new in box Saito .72 engines and they are very versatile engines. The .62 is silky smooth and a real treat to operate, the .82 is a workhorse.
The slightly larger .65, .80, and .91 are stout engines that may weigh a bit more but do have a bit more robust case design for the given sizes. I really like the .65 in particular, being a really over-built for it's displacement compared to the .62. That series however is no longer in producton. Again, there are still new in box engines as well as good used ones floating around. They last for decades when cared for.
I haven't included all the engines of a given case size, just the models in your range.

Lee Taylor

RC Sport seems to be my category. If it is not fun, I don't want to do it. Not a speed freak, I learned that on the sim. Not a giant scale freak, .... to much money and time investment for me. I do not like the small stuff. Reminds me too much of 1/2A control line and I do not have any interest there. I will venture into ARF electrics just to have that experience. I am hoping it provides me a facet that includes easy to fix and always ready to fly. I am hoping to start next spring with 2 or 3 planes ready for the field. By then my sim should be broken from over use. Yes I will need another sim. Your Avatar looks like a 1969 BSA motorcycle

Jesse Open

Lee Taylor

I owned a 1969 Thunderbolt for many years. Bought in 1970 ... sold in 1975. Thought it looked familiar

Jesse Open

Lee Taylor

Life is good! Here is what I bought on Ebay tonight

Jesse Open

Lee Taylor

Thanks. I think it is a good starting point for the phase I am in. I also want to try a .90 four stroke and a 15cc gas. All three can be used interchangeably on the same plane. I am a sport flyer. I am novice enough that I have an occasional moment of disorientation, so for that reason I will likely go with both an ARF and a kit. I have had a sim for 2 weeks. I have put in probably 40 or so flights on the sim. Prior to the sim I probably had around 20 solo flights in the field. Shocking to me was to find that on the sim I really like the flying and landing characteristics of the Sbach, Yak, and the 300L

Lee Taylor

If I bought a 15cc gas today I would probably give this one a whirl...

https://www.rcgfusa.com/product/rcgf-15cc-bm/

Jesse Open

Lee Taylor

Oh I get that. Was working on the Enya's earlier today. I was looking at the wear and tear on the .45 and I started remembering I bought it new in 1975. I am old enough that this is my last go-round, so I want more that one hanging on the wall in the ready to fly condition. Starting to see a few on the market that are getting my attention. I want something minimum .60 glow and another .70 or .90 four cycle. Here is a short vid of me flying the 1/4 scale Yak on the sim. My thought on this one was lets see how fast I can get it off the ground an back down... in one piece

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oUfH1z3RJl8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

r ward

recently went to a swap meet and picked up an OS .61sf and a Super Tiger .61 for $75 and $70 respectively. both were nice and clean with good strong compression, smooth bearings and mufflers. both started right up and ran perfect ! in the future, i'm sure i'll try a 4 cycle or two as I move to bigger planes, but I still love the sound of a two stroke in a plane.